The Brexit Arms: Are We Nearly There Yet? 🇬🇧🚗↩️🇪🇺

[SingingLily]

No, not yet, but soon. Just 24 more sleeps until we legally leave the EU at 11pm on 31 January and finally enter the transition period after what seems like centuries of argument, dither and delay. We do so with hope, optimism and a determination to be a good friend and neighbour to the EU, but for now, no one said it better than Winston Churchill.

“This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end, this is just perhaps the end of the beginning.”

The Pub Rule is the same as it always was: all welcome but only if you leave goadery outside. The first drink is on the house.

[AutumnRose1]

Thanks for the new thread

I can’t really volunteer due to shifts and not knowing when I’ll be at mum’s.

[DustyDiamond]

Thanks Lily!

Pic for the wall in honour of the eternal Labour pantomime....!!

🍷🍷🍷

[DustyDiamond]

Love that there are emojis in the title!!!

🙌😍👏

[SingingLily]

Fabulous pic, Dusty, thank you. I'm putting it in pride of place over the bar even now.

Welcome back, Autumn, I know you have a lot on your plate just now.

☕️all round.

[Coppersulphate]

Thanyou Singing, Dusty and all.
I am sorry but I can't volunteer.
Love the title with the turning back emoji and I wish we could collect dusty's memes. They are so much better than guido Fawkes 's ones on Twitter.

[bellinisurge]

Watching and enjoying the odd snifter.

[XingMing]

Bagging a stool! Thank you singinglily for the new thread.

[TheGhostOfEpicPast]

Thanks Lily! 👋

[DustyDiamond]

Watching BBC Parliament & for the first time in a long time I'm not getting angry with our MPs 😮

Apart from Corbyn the 🤡 & his anti-Trump-driven nonsensical fluff questions at the beginning (and the odd dullard like Ed Davey 🙄) MPs from all parties are asking some really good questions without the usually endless repetition

And Ben Wallace is very much on top of his brief & actually answering them

(That said, Tommy Shepard just let the side down with a twat question 🙄🙄🙄)

[DustyDiamond]

It's just dawned on me why the Tory manifesto had explicit commitment to leave by end of 2020 - Steve Barclay has referred to it a few times now in HoC in response to interventions re having scope to extend

If the HoL add amendment to this end & it bounces back to HoC then gets voted down in HoC, HoL by convention don't override manifesto commitments (because they're deemed to be voted in favour for, directly by the electorate)

#ClassicDmitri

[SingingLily]

The Salisbury Convention. The HoL would be breaking with both precedent and its own convention if it did, as well as drawing attention to the fact that HoL reform is also on the cards.

Meanwhile, RLB's candidacy is off to a flying start, according to The Tribune. Despite telling us she is not the Continuity Candidate, she gives Jezza 10/10, calls him a visionary, and says not only does she "agree with the politics, I’ve spent the last four years writing them”.

Definitely no continuity there then.

[KenDodd]

Anyone wonder if the composition of the UK parliament and the fact that we'll be desperate for any scrap of a trade deal the US throws us crossed Trump's mind regarding the current situation with Iran?

[SingingLily]

I make it a habit never to try and guess what is in Donald Trump's mind at any given time. That way, I'm never disappointed.

May I offer you a Pimms on the house? 🍹

[DustyDiamond]

After the utterly predictable, ever-present & tedious wails from the opposition that there is just not enough tiiiiiime to 'properly debate' the WA - I'm just so surprised (not surprised) to see that there are only about 10 MPs actually there 😮🙄😂

And most of that have bothered to stay are not Labour 🤷🏻‍♀️

#LaboursNotListening

[howabout]

Quick check in to the new thread.

Dusty in fairness Labour Leadership hustings happening concurrently and at least they are not actively obstructing committee stage. Just tuned in to more SNP droning on having caught 10 minutes of Joanna Cherry QC when cooking dinner.

[frumpety]

Are we nearly there yet ? only another 11 months to go , as long as Boris doesn't commit to an extension in June, which of course he won't because he said he won't

[frumpety]

Will be distributing my home made gin , its a bit cloudy and has bits in it currently, but will have a go at straining the worst of the bits out through a clean flannel , tastes and smells alright though and if you don't fancy drinking it , I reckon it would make a good tincture

[yolofish]

aiming for fireside spot and a large and whatever anyone else wants please.

I am totally not sure what will happen, if anything on Jan 31, at the moment my money is on international affairs taking over.

Not impressed that BJ is still 'on holiday' actually, but then he is known to be a lazy arse. Of course he's not actually on holiday but far too busy and important to be in the HoC answering to mere MPs, I suspect that is for the little people.

[scaryteacher]

He's meeting VdL (definitely) and Barnier (I think) at No 10 tomorrow. They want to start negotiations later as the poor dears aren't ready for 31/01. Rumours that VdL will want to talk about Iran and push the Brexit negotiations right.

There are also cracks in the EU response to the Iran situation. Borrell (the new Spanish Hight representative, replacing Mogherini) has invited the Iranian Foreign minister to Brussels iirc, with the support of France. Lots of other member states are opposed to this, so it will be interesting.

[DustyDiamond]

🍷 to all patrons!
(or homemade 😉)

I actually prefer that the Defence Sec did statement & took the questions as he's the one who's job it is & he's got v good background in Middle Eastern affairs

Re the extension - if there was an extension option built in to WA then it will def have been used as no real deadline - for that reason it would be madness to have it in there

That said, BJ can use executive powers to seek one if he deems it necessary so no actual real drama 🤷🏻‍♀️

Wrt the hustings - they could have that at any point - was their choice to do it during what they have repeatedly described as too short/limited 'precious time' given over to WA debate

Will be a pleasant change to see Brexit related votes not being on a knife edge now 🙌

[frumpety]

Dusty pretty sure the extension is built into the WA , the crunch point is June, to extend beyond December 2020, it needs to be requested then, might be wrong though, frequently am !

[SingingLily]

Dusty pretty sure the extension is built into the WA , the crunch point is June, to extend beyond December 2020, it needs to be requested then, might be wrong though, frequently am !

There is no extension built into the WA bill, frumpety, but the reason why it might ring a bell with you is because Jezza has proposed an amendment to that effect. I don't know whether the Speaker has accepted the amendment for debate but he has, what are the chances of it getting through when a Prime Minister with a majority of 80 has already made it quite clear there will be no extension? In fact, he told UvdL this in no uncertain terms when they met today.

I think Jezza is whistling in the wind. Still, if it makes him feel better, that's something.

Ben Wallace was briefly my MP when first elected, Dusty. Not surprised he was on top of his brief. Plus it fits with Boris's style of leadership - let the Cabinet ministers who can, do.

[scaryteacher]

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/07/brussels-fires-warning-shot-citizens-rights-brexit-aseu-chief/

This what Boris has been thinking about I expect. All very well, but no reciprocal mechanisms as far as I can see, or body, for Brits to complain to if they are in an EU Member state.

[SingingLily]

Breaking news from the New York Times just now:

“Iran said it had concluded its attacks on US forces in Iraq and “did not seek escalation”.

^President Trump plans to make a statement today.

The statement from Iran’s foreign minister followed two missile attacks on bases in Iraq housing American forces in response to the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”^

[frumpety]

Ah yes not specifically in the WA , but as a part of the whole process of leaving as triggered by Art 50 , I think it must be requested by June though. So there are five months for the powers that be to make a decision based on how well negotiations are going and whether they believe that everything can be concluded by the end of December. An extension wouldn't stop the UK leaving, it would simply allow enough additional time to do it sensibly.